


CURAE (Care)

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: Better Things [2]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, Wing Grooming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-13 17:44:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15369918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: Trixie grooms Lucifer's wings. Lucifer gets a little emotional.





	CURAE (Care)

For Lucifer Morningstar, being beautiful actually took slightly _less_ effort than breathing (his body didn't necessarily have to, except when he was around Chloe. While it was a firm habit now, he'd been known to forget on occasion during those first few months in L.A.)

So the specificities of grooming simply wasn't an area he'd ever had any interest in. He merely had to exist in order to continue finding a plentiful supply of willing and eager sexual partners, and he had no preferences when it came to the grooming choices of those partners. People of all genders were delightful company, no matter how hairy they were or whatever scents they did or didn't choose to slather themselves in.

So, though he'd been occasionally asked to model for one product or another, Lucifer's actual maintenance routine was nonexistent. He literally just rolled out of bed his normally gorgeous self, only needing to decide whether or not he was going to put on clothing that morning.

At least, that's how it mostly was.

000

"This is called preening," Trixie explained, her small hands carefully smoothing out the feathers along the top edge of his right wing. "It helps remove dust, dirt and parasites from between the feathers, and helps put each feather in the best position compared to all your other feathers and the shape of your wings."

Lucifer, drawn by the tight feeling in his chest that was utterly different from what he felt for her mother but rapidly becoming just as powerful, was sitting cross-legged on the floor of his loft wearing pajama bottoms and feeling more vulnerable than he was entirely comfortable with. "I assure you, child -- dirt and parasites would not _dare_ get anywhere near my wings."

Trixie made an amused, disbelieving sound that he was sure she'd learned directly from Chloe. "I know you're an angel, Lucifer, but not even _you_ can control dirt." He felt the subtle nudge of her adjusting one of his feathers, bracing himself for it to turn into a yank. But she was already done, carefully moving on to the next feather. "Besides, even if that were true, a couple of your feathers stick out in weird places sometimes. Don't you want your wings to be as pretty as the rest of you?"

Lucifer knew he shouldn't be so warmed that a small human had pointed out something he already knew, but he'd never been terribly good at doing the things he should. "Since Maze and Amenadiel are incapable of being impressed by my visual magnificence, you and your mother are the only two people who have a chance of appreciating them suitably."

"Which means it's our job to help you keep them pretty," Trixie said matter-of-factly, moving on to the next feather. "Birds normally do this with their beaks, but you don't have one and it's hard to reach some of this with your arms. I watched YouTube videos of birds preening, though, and I'm doing as close to that as you can with just fingers."

Touched by the seriousness in her voice, Lucifer turned his head just enough to watch her without moving his torso at all. Her face was a study in concentration as she focused on each feather, as if this was the most important task she could possibly be doing at this moment. He was sure her attention would wane long before she'd finished the first wing -- Trixie's attention span, he'd noticed, was approximately the same as his own -- but the fact that she'd spent even this much time on them was oddly moving.

As little as he had to offer her mother, he had absolutely nothing that Trixie might find of value. He'd already taken her flying, after all, often enough that he'd already become quite familiar with what her mother referred to as Trixie's "puppy dog eyes." She'd seen the wings even more often than that, to the point that any novelty in their existence had faded long ago. There was no reason at all for her to spend even as much time on this as she already had.

"I thought you normally spent Saturday watching cartoons on your tablet," he said finally, voice not nearly as casual as he'd meant it to be. "I'm certain I'm far less interesting than those gem princesses you're fond of."

"Crystal gems," Trixie corrected. "And I think you'd like them. They had a whole rebellion thing against the people in power, just like you did, and then they had to go to earth."

He blinked, surprised. She'd tried to explain the show to him once, and he was sure that didn't fit with what he remembered. "They fell? I thought the crystal gems were the heroes."

She gave him a confused look. "They are. Like I said, they're like you."

Lucifer stared at her, stunned, but Trixie went back to her task like she hadn't just reached inside his chest the same way her mother was so good at doing.

He swallowed, eyes stinging. "You'll have to show me sometime."

She grinned, coming close enough to press a kiss against the side of his head. "Definitely. We can watch the first episode after I'm done with your wings." Then she looked up, eyes focusing on someone on the other side of the room. "Want to watch it with us, Mommy?"

Lucifer followed Trixie's gaze to see Chloe leaning against the entryway to the bedroom. She was wearing her pajama pants and his shirt from the night before, and the soft expression on her face reached inside him the same way Trixie had.

When their eyes met, Chloe gave them both a loving smile. "Absolutely. Let me know when you're almost done with Lucifer's wings, and I'll even make popcorn."

In the end, Trixie spent a full hour carefully grooming both of his wings. Lucifer, more patient than in all the millennia he'd been alive, loved every single moment of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my [original fiction,](https://jennifferwardell.wixsite.com/mybooks) my [blog,](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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